Lasik ectasia

[John Chalmers]

I wonder if anyone can help. I’m 58 ,had hyperopia lasik in 2001 with a redo on the left eye about a year later. After about 5 years I would accasionly wake up after sleep and the vision was poor in the left eye and take All day to improve. I was back in glasses by 2010. I have seen about 6 consultants in the last 8 years and none of them have come up with a diagnosis. Now 19 years later this overnight deterioration in vision occurs every day . There seems to be about a 2 diopter hyperopia shift with more astigmatism overnight and then a gradual improvement as the day passes. I have about 5 different pairs of glasses to get me through the day but as you can imagine I am never in the right ones I am very sensitive to lights the cornea is clear apart from a pannis at the bottom which is not in the visual axis.

[Anne Klepacz]

Sorry, John, but in the 20 years this forum has existed, I can't remember anyone describing anything like you're experiencing. And although we've had a few people posting about ectasia after Lasik for shortsightedness, I think you're the first to post about Lasik for long sight. The only thing this reminds me of is the cloudiness of vision that people with Fuchs Dystrophy experience on waking, which gradually clears as the day goes by. That's caused by the endothelium (the back layer of the cornea) not pumping liquid as it should. But that doesn't seem to be what you're describing. I hope you find an answer.

[John Chalmers]

Hi Anne. Thanks for the reply. The loss of visual acuity isn’t due to cloudiness and I’m sure the doctors would have spotted Fuchs, but it feels more like a movement of the cornea.
I do know that I have irregular astigmatisms and in my left eye the astigmatism changes throughout the day. For example if I look at a distant lamppost (right eye closed)i will see a ghost image to one side . On another day it may be on the other side. I am not surprised that no one has seen these symptoms before because none of the consultants have either. After a recent visit to high street optictcians I was told that the central cornea thickness had just gone under 500 um.